The recent violence on the campus of the University of Hyderabad has led to anger among its alumni and faculty over what they say is the use of brutal force by the police. Reproduced below is a statement signed by more than two hundred of them.

Students of Hyderabad Central University demanding justice for dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, holding a protest demonstration against the University VC in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Credit: PTI

UoH Alumni Open Letter against the institutional murder of Rohtith Vemula, the reinstatement of Dr. Appa Rao as UoH’s VC, and the brutal display of state violence in campus.

As alumni of the University of Hyderabad, we observed with dismay the return of Dr. Appa Rao Podile as the Vice-Chancellor of University of Hyderabad (UoH) on March 22. We strongly condemn this move and the subsequent police brutality on campus. The shutdown of the university which has followed is unacceptable and unlawful.

A couple of days ago, a report ranked three departments of the University of Hyderabad among the top 500 university facilities in the world. The education we received at UoH helped us to not only shape our careers, but also to question, critique and analyse concepts such as equality, fraternity and social justice. Upon entering a central university of this size, we were exposed to the sheer diversity of this country. UoH, like other central universities in India, is an amalgam of many languages, cultures, religions and regions.

However, much like the rest of the country, the university campus is a space where systematically oppressive caste structures operate and are institutionally legitimised. Recent events at UoH have left us dismayed and angered at the treatment meted out to peacefully protesting students at the hands of the administration and the police.

Suicides of Dalit students have been recurring in UoH. While such incidents continue unabated across the country, the issue spiralled into a nationwide students’ protest with the untimely death of Dalit scholar and social activist Rohith Vemula on January 17th. Rohith’s suicide note gives us glimpses into the individual that he was — an astute observer of the human condition. His progressive ideas gave hope, especially to marginalised groups, for whom he fought tirelessly. The son of a Dalit mother who makes her living out of a sewing machine, he proudly bore his mother’s identity and fought for the rights of all people regardless of caste, class, gender and sexuality. He was especially vocal about the plight of Dalit students, a 200-million-strong population that has historically been denied fair opportunities to achieve social mobility in Indian society. It is unforgivable that the university administration could not save him.

A grave problem lies, therefore, in the fact that as of March 22, Dr. Appa Rao Podile, who mismanaged the suspension of Rohith and others, leading to his suicide, has resumed the office of the VC after two months of leave. This is highly inappropriate especially given that a non-bailable charge is registered against him under the SC/ST Atrocities Act and a judicial inquiry to determine accountability is still pending.

The morning of Rao’s return saw an unprecedented display of violence in the campus. The media reported that the students pelted stones and ransacked the VC’s lodge. But, information from several sources, especially eyewitness accounts from students, faculty and non-teaching staff, contests mainstream media reports. There is ample footage of the police brutally assaulting students with lathis. Some police personnel allegedly threatened to rape students. Even faculty members were not spared.

After the incident, the university has been locked down with no food (14 messes have shut operations), water, electricity (in some parts), and no internet connectivity. This cannot be the reality of a central university, where, as we write this letter, ATM cards linked to student accounts have been blocked barring students from making essential purchases. Students who attempted to cook for their peers were severely beaten up by the police for the absurd crime of ‘cooking in a public place’. The administration has imposed an emergency-like situation in one of India’s biggest universities. Today UoH resembles a surveillance state with students being attacked, and their basic needs like food, water and money being denied to them. As the University and state administration tries to starve out its own students by using state machinery and the law to wage war on members of a public institution, the response of the city has been heartening, with residents of Hyderabad cooking and delivering food and water to the students.

In light of these developments, we appeal to all citizens to keep asking the unpleasant questions that Rohith’s suicide has raised; questions about the persistence of caste in our educational institutions, and the present government’s apathy and refusal to hold the university administration accountable. Universities are spaces for understanding our complex social structures; where questions are and must be raised against the abuse of power and authoritarianism.

We the undersigned alumni of this university in turmoil write to draw attention to the atrocities that the students are experiencing for raising their voices against injustice. We stand with the students and faculty around the country in universities like UoH, JNU, FTII, DU, IIT Madras, University of Allahabad and numerous others that are fighting to uphold the freedoms that are guaranteed by our constitution. We stand with Radhika Vemula and her ongoing courageous struggle for justice against a casteist and patriarchal administration. We condemn any kind of violence that tries to suppress freedom of expression and seeks instead to spread fear. Let all students and citizens debate to make India the safest example of a real grassroot democracy. Let them speak for a just world where everyone feels safe to just be.

Name

Affiliation

Year of graduation

Course of study

Kalpana Kannabiran

Council for Social Development, Hyderabad

Nanditha Mathew

Research Fellow, National Research Council, Italy.

2009

M.A and M.Phil Economics

Aabha Sharma

KPMG India

2014

IMA Political Science

RASHAD MOIDEEN

No Affiliation

2014

Hameeda C. K.

Student, JNU

2014

VG Balaji

Alumnus

2010

Gopika G G

PhD Scholar, Centre for Development Studies

2014

Krishnendu Adiyat

Student

2012

Vaishnavi Shankar

Instructional Designer

2008

MA English

Anu Salelkar

Alumni, Student, Hyderabad Central University

2008

Juby George

Editor, Higher ed publisher

2010

Silpa Satheesh

Student, University of South Florida

2010

Alamuru Soumya

Frelane research scholar

2011

Shauhrat S. Chopra

Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago

2009

Carmel Christy

Postdoctoral fellow, University of California Santa Cruz

2011

Shijo Varghese

Asst. Professor, Sacred Heart College, Thevara

2013

A.P Sreeraj

Assistant Professor, CUR

2010

Abhigna S

Academic Editor

2012

Bestin Samuel

Writer, World Vision India

2012

M.A English and MPhil Comparative Literature

Maithreyi M R

Senior editor, BNHS-India

1997

Ramesh Bairy

Associate professor, IITB

2004

Navika Harshe

HCU/ alum

2004

Anirban Dey

Editor, Cambridge University Press

2010

Bindhulakshmi P

Associate Professor, TISS, Mumbai

2010

Shipra Nigam

Research Scholar , New Delhi

2000

Jaseena t p

Student

2003

Tore Holst

External lecturer, university of Roskilde

2007

MA English

Diana Gomes

Alumni, UoH

2014

M.F.A Painting

Tharakeshwar

Eflu

2014

Rakesh Nanjappa

Student, State University of New York

2014

Priya Vijay

PhD scholar, JNU

2014

M.A English and MPhil Comparative Literature

Shamsudheen U. K

HCU alumni

2013

Aparna R

HCU alumni

2014

Samiah Sultana

Ex-student, University of Hyderabad

2015

Mahaprajna Nayak

CSSSC, Kolkata

2005

Kirti Ajith Varma

Independent researcher

2011

Meghana Rao

PhD Student, University of Toronto

2013

Faiza Hasan

Alumni, University of Hyderbad

2014

Savitha Suresh

Student, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore

2014

Merlin Abey Theressa

Analyst, Private Firm

2012

Soumava Basu

Student

2013

Jithin Mathew

Student IIT B

2012

Soumya Balan

Student

2010

Nithin M

Assistant Professor, MCC

2012

Dhaneesh M P

M.Phil Research Scholar

2002

Sreekumar jayadevan

IIT Jodhpur

2012

Manjari

Student, Central University of Gujarat

2012

Ojas Shetty

Independent Researcher

2015

MA Anthropology

Sheeja Rajagopal

Student, IITM

2002

MA English

Abhishek Bakuli

Student, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung

2008

Abir Dasgupta

Student, TISS

2011

R K Debbarma

Assistant Professor, TISS, Guwahati campus

2014

Rahul Deshmukh

Student, City University of New York

2012

Gowri Shankar

Student, UOH

2012

Nikhila Henry

Journalist

2010

Muhammed P

Research Scholar, EFL University, Hyderabad

2007

Deepti

Chief copy editor, The Times of India

2011

Sujata Mishra

Policy Researcher

2010

Rohit Thapa

Teach For India

2007

Himanshu Upadhyaya

Assistant Professor, Azim Premji University

2014

M Naresh Kumar

Student

2003

Tore Holst

Recent PhD Graduate/Roskilde University

2006

Shilpaa Anand

Assistant Professor, Maulana Azad National Urdu University Hyderabad

2006

Monty Majeed

Journalist

2000

Manjari

Student, Central University of Gujarat

2011

Vikas Kumar Moola

M.Phil Social Sciences, CSSSC

2012

IMA Sociology

SALMA ASHRAF

STUDENT, University of Hyderabad

2012

Richa Gupta

Centre for Studies in Social Sciences Calcutta/PhD research scholar

2012

MA English

Kevin B. Haynes

Student, Western Michigan University

2012

Nandini Chandrashekar

Student

2014

M Naresh Kumar

Student/University of Hyderbad

2006

MA English

Kedar Kulkarni

Student, University of Hyderabad

2006

Nikhilesh Sinha

Lecturer, Hult International Business School, London

2004

MA Economics

Arpan Ganguly

Student, UoH/Graduate Instructor, Colorado State University

2004

Tejaswini Madabhushi

IIIT

2012

Srinath raghunathan

Student

2008

Karteek Kunnala

Student

2014

Harshavardhan

Student

2014

Knut Aukland

Phd candidate, University of Bergen, Norway

2014

Asamol Mohan

student

2008

Lijinesh M T

student

2010

Ratheesh Radhakrishnan

Associate Professor, Dept. of HSS, IIT Bombay

2011

Devi G R

PhD scholar, Dept. of Physics, IIT Madras

2012

M.Sc. Physics

PRITI LAISHRAM

Student, DELHI SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

2012

Laishram Priyanka

Alumni, University of Hyderabad

2014

Sharmila

Associate Professor, Dept. of HSS, IIT Bombay

2014

Yacoub Zachariah Kuruvilla

Phd Research Scholar, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

2001

Rekha Abel

Independent Development Consultant

1995

Ph.D. Linguistics

Alex M. Thomas

Senior Lecturer, Azim Premji University

2011

MA and MPhil Economics

K.Srilata

Professor, Dept of HSS, IITM

1998

MA, MPhil and PhD English

Tejaswini Niranjana

Professor, TISS and Lingnan University

1998

Swati Bandi

Independent Scholar

1998 – present

Faculty

Sujith Parayil

student

2000

Paromita Bose

Assistant Professor, Mahindra Ecole Centrale

2014

M.Phil, PhD English

Jayanti K Chhetri

Alumni, University of Hyderabad

2010

Suresh Pittala

Postdoc at Indian Institute of Science

2010

Sanjeev C M

Assistant Professor, NIFT

2000

MFA Painting

Jasmeet Sahi

Freelance writer

2008

MA English

Anupama S

Ex Student UoH

2008

Priyanka Das

Student, UOH

2014

Sanjeev Routray

Sessional Lecturer, University of British Columbia

2001

Shashikantha Koudur

Associate Professor, NIT, Karnataka

2001

Amrit Amlan Pattanaik

Senior Lecturer, Xavier University Bhubaneswar

2008

Unika Prusty

Freelance Journalist & Independent Researcher

2010

Bidyut Sagar Boruah

Independent Researcher

2009

Dharashree Das

PhD Candidate, Simon Fraser University, Canada

2001

Gurveen Kaur

Independent Researcher, Alumnus

1986

Pridhvi Sabbineni

Alumnus,University of Hyderabad (Physics)

2012

Mohsin Khan

Economist/consultant – Deloitte Malaysia

2009

MA Economics

Sawmya Ray

Associate Professor, IITG

2009

Vaskar Upadhyay

UoH, MA English, 2001. Currently based IN, US

2009

Kiriti Kanjilal

PhD Student, Washington State University

2013

Koshy Tharakan

Professor, Goa University

1992

Kushal Deb

Professor, Dept. of HSS, IIT Bombay

1989

Navaneetha Mokkil Maruthur

Assistant Professor, JNU

2001

TV Madhu

Professor, University of Calicut

1996

Lourembam Arnold

Student, University of Hyderabad

2014-present

Sudeshna Devi

Student, Jawaharlal Nehru University

2007

Shravan Kumar

Alumni, University of Hyderabad

1997-1999

MA Communication – SN School

Avinandan Mukherjee

Alumnus, University of Hyderabad

2007

MA English

Swathysree

PhD Candidate, IIM Calcutta

2013

Akhila M V

Alumnus, University of Hyderabad

2011

J S Sam

Social Scientist

2007

Sujith SN

Artist.

2007

MFA – SN School

Uday Bhaskar Sharma

Senior Research Fellow, IMSc, Chennai.

2011

M.Sc. Mathematics (Integrated)

Madhusudan Nag

Research Scholar, Centre for Development Studies

2011-13

M.A in Economics

Umasankar Patra

University of Delhi, Delhi

2011

MA English

Vishal Babu

Editor, Viva Books Private Limited

2011

MA English

Parvathy Rajendran

Student,JNU

2013

Anandavardhanan

Associate Professor, IIT Bombay

2002

Vipin Krishna

JNU PHD Student

2010

Jaya Peter

Student, HCU,HYDERABAD

1996

Rekha Abel

Independent Development Consultant

1995

Divyaprabha V J

Student

2012

Anita Cherian

Assistant Professor in English, Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi